Syrian refugee hands in €150,000 he found cleaning out his wardrobe
Muhannad M said his religion prohibited him from keeping the money for himself
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Syrian refugee has attracted praise after he discovered a large stash of money in a second-hand wardrobe and turned it into German police.
Muhannad M. found €150,000 shortly after moving into his new flat in Minden, north Rhine-Westphalia, police reported.
Mr Muhannad, 25, had been able to furnish his flat largely due to contributions from charities, and the wardrobe was included among the donations.
While he was cleaning it, he discovered a hidden compartment where two sheets of wood had been screwed together,
Inside the compartment he found savings books that were worth €100,000, plus €50,000 in cash.
"They were all new €500 notes. I thought it was fake money," he told German national newspaper Bild.
He looked online for clues as to how to tell if the notes were fake, and came to the conclusion that they were in fact real.
He informed migration authorities who then told the police, explaining that his religion prohibited him from keeping the money for himself.
"Allah would never allow me to finance my own interests with someone else’s wealth," he said.
Police are now trying to track down whoever put the money in the wardrobe.
"This young man has acted in an exemplary way and deserves great respect," a police spokesperson said.
"It sometimes happens that smaller amounts of money are handed in. But this kind of money is the absolute exception."
Mr Muhannad arrived in Germany in October 2015. The rest of his family are still in Syria, where a civil war has destroyed large parts of the country since it broke out in 2011.
He will receive a finder’s fee of three percent of the value of the money.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments